I got to thinking about how green Ireland is. Ireland receives easterly trade winds across the Atlantic Ocean. The name for this phenomenon - an atmospheric lake. It transports moisture from the Mexico Gulf to the Irish shores to deliver all that misty moisture that constantly keeps things green.
Our Garden Alerts have begun. They are like weather alerts, but don't have the flashing red banners on the Weather Network. We are under notice that there's an invasive worm called the giant jumping worm. Did you know that earth worms are an invasive species and are consuming the forest floor faster than it can replenish itself for native species. That accounts for some of the dwindling Trillium woods we used to enjoy.
The latest is the giant jumping worm. Their distinction is their means of self-defence - writhing like a snake and ejecting a piece of their tail. They can jump out of a bowl, so generally give us the creeps.
They live at the surface among the leaves and eats the fallen organic material right at the surface. So they are ruining the top soil where plants live and seedlings get started.
How to spot them? The place to start to look is potted plants and gardening and landscaping materials in the spring for their little cocoons. They've been spotted in the GTA and as far west as Windsor.
Another invader this year with cocoons is the box tree moth. It eats boxwood plant leaves. It has decimated boxwood plants in Europe - the home of topiary gardens.
The sign they are on your plants is webbing among chewed leaves. There has previously been sightings in St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Here are Box Tree Moth Tips
Box Tree Moth can be a significant pest if left unmanaged. Spread the word about box tree moth to your local horticultural networking group and encourage others to monitor boxwood for this pest. However, box tree moth can be easily controlled if it is sprayed at the right time. You can still have confidence in planting boxwood in your landscapes.
Continue to monitor boxwood plants for signs of active larval stages, especially during the periods of May 30 to June 15, July 15 to Aug. 10 and Sept. 1 to 15.
Avoid transplanting boxwood plants from residential gardens within the GTA. Always plant healthy, pest-free, nursery grown boxwood.
When removing plants (or clippings): first place a black plastic bag over the plant, cut the main stem at ground level and carefully contain the entire plant inside the bag, tying it off securely.
Where air temperatures are 20 C or greater, place bagged plant in the sun for two days to kill any box tree moth inside. (Or bury or burn bagged infested plants, where permitted).
That's our Garden Alert of the Week! It is pussy willow season. You will see them for sale at florists and garden centres. I get to purchase mine from the grower Mark Houtby - where Brian has his Lilycrest Gardens hybridizing field.
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